The Museum of English Rural Life

Forty Farms – Behind the Scenes

Forty Farm exhibition boards in the MERL garden

Join Forty Farms photographer Amy Bateman for an evening of relaxed conversation and drinks in the garden, highlighting the stories behind the exhibition.

NISSEN

A recreated Nissen hut in The MERL galleries.

Step inside a recreated Nissen hut. Listen to stories from people who lived in or came across these huts, and leave your memories.

Paint, Pencil, Print

In 2025, the University of Reading Art Collection celebrates its 10th birthday! Join us for a special showcase of iconic and innovative artworks, highlighting the growth and evolution of the art collection over the past ten years. Showing in the Upper Staircase Hall. Image credit: Robert Gillmor, Peewit and Son, linocut on paper, UAC/11171. © […]

Romany & Traveller Heritage Day 2025

Anonymous painting showing Gypsy encampment, with waggons.
Join us for a day of music, film, poetry, tours, talks, displays and family fun as we celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month! Completely free and no need to book. Explore heritage in our new gallery The Long Road and with experts from the Romany and Traveller Family History Society. Dive into the Robert [...]

The Global Second World War: Conflict and Beyond

Wojtek the bear. Image courtesy of the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum.
Join us for a fascinating workshop to mark and explore multilingualism, cultural diversity and the global impact of the Second World War, with a focus on Polish experiences. This workshop is delivered in partnership with The National Archives (TNA) as part of Second World War: Languages, cultures, and legacies. This programme commemorates the 80th anniversary [...]

Pandora Unboxed

Egg tempura painting of Pandora. She is surrounded by other characters also from Greek Mythology.

In Greek mythology, Pandora allowed all evil into the world after accidently opening a box. But is there a way that she can also be unboxed? This exhibition features new artworks created by young Reading artists who were responding to the myth of Pandora, as depicted in a historic painting from the Collection. Showing in […]

Monthly Gallery Tours – May

Visitors in The MERL galleries

Curator of MERL Collections, Dr Ollie Douglas, will be joined by a different specialist for each of these monthly tours. Together they will take visitors on a short conversational guided trip through the galleries approaching our collection from a different perspective that reflects the guest speaker’s expertise, ensuring you’ll learn something new every time. Each […]

All Roads: Migration Stories

A woman holds up a fabric that says 'hej'
Where have you travelled from to get here? This Community Case display, delivered by Jelly, explores the routes women have taken to arrive in Reading and celebrates the textiles that travelled with them. Women from all over the world, Sweden, Turkey, Pakistan to name a few have contributed to this display and you can listen to their [...]

Charles Hasler: A Mid-Century Designer and Collector

Typography by Charles Hasler
Charles Hasler (1908 - 1992) was an internationally important typography and graphic designer, whose work included the 'Dig for Victory' and 'Make Do and Mend' campaigns of the Second World War. This exhibition uses materials from the University of Reading Special Collections to celebrate Hasler's career and the wonderful collection he amassed in his life [...]

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